Dr. Howard Liu (left), Dr. Matthew Egbert (right center) and Jeanne Lincoln congratulate Dr. Ashish Sharma on being named Adult Inpatient Division Director.
Dr. Ashish Sharma has accepted the position of Adult Inpatient Division Director. He will replace the outgoing Adult Inpatient Division Director Dr. Matthew Egbert on July 1. Dr. Egbert will remain with the department of psychiatry.
Last year, Dr. Sharma was promoted to professor, after which he looked for a leadership position in the psychiatry department.
“I was looking for a new challenge,” Dr. Sharma said. With this role, I’m also able to take on this leadership position without having to give up my beloved consult-liaison position, which is very important to me.”
While Dr. Egbert will be stepping down from the head of the division, he will mentor Dr. Sharma to make the transition easier.
“The role Dr. Egbert has played in mentoring me, not only for this role but throughout my career has been invaluable,” Dr. Sharma said. “Without his guidance, I likely would never have pushed myself to accept this new challenge. I know I will continue to seek his mentorship for some time to come. His input and opinion have always been important to me as we work so closely together.”
Department of Psychiatry Chair Dr. Howard Liu said Dr. Egbert is a pioneer in our Adult Crisis Unit (ACU) and our leading provider of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients with treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, etc.
“He has served us admirably in several hospital medical director roles and will devote his talents to expand our interventional psychiatry service for patients who fail to respond to standard medication. He will also continue to lead the ACU, and I appreciate his many years of leadership,” Dr. Liu said.
Dr. Sharma said his current goals include the expansion of the inpatient psychiatry services. This includes the opening of the Medical-Psychiatric Unit (MPU) and the Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES).
“We have been collaborating on this for quite some time, and I’m excited to see it all come to fruition,” Dr. Sharma said.
Dr. Sharma’s long-term goals include a consultation-liaison psychiatry fellowship as a part of the department’s new residency program.